As She Likes It
is the first attempt to tackle head on the enduring question of how to perform those unruly women at the centre of Shakespeare's comedies.
Unique amongst both Shakespearian and feminist studies,
asks how gender politics affects the production to the comedies, and how gender is represented, both in the text and on the stage. Penny Gay takes a fascinating look at the way
Twelfth Night, The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It
and
Measure for Measure
have been staged over the last half a century, when perceptions of gender roles have undergone massive changes. She also interrogates, rigorously but thoughtfully, the relationship between a male theatrical establishment and a burgeoning feminist approach to performance.
As illuminating for practitioners as it will be enjoyable and useful for students,
will be critical reading for anyone interested in women's experience of theatre.